Extra helpings: And so to Edd...

Meet the fabulous baker boy whose career has risen like a soufflé since he swapped banking for baking and decided to cook up a recipe book

Baker boy: Edd Kimber

Edd Kimber has a clear memory of his first baking triumph. It involved standing on a stool in the kitchen of his Yorkshire home, cutting out rounds of pastry for Christmas mince pies, piling in the rich filling and seeing the results transformed into meltingly delicious seasonal treats. He was five years old at the time and, to be honest, didn’t seem to have aged much when he won last year’s The Great British Bake Off, with his fresh-faced enthusiasm, schoolboy haircut, studious glasses and featherweight frame.

The television competition to find Britain’s best amateur baker, which could so easily have been a horrible soggy biscuit, turned out to be as enjoyable as a slice of airy victoria sponge, thanks to a combination of modest charm (no F-words, thank you very much), the sensitivity of the judges – artisan baker Paul Hollywood and cake-making grande dame Mary Berry – and, most importantly, the likability and talent of the contestants. Whoever wins the second series, which has just started on BBC2, will have a lot to live up to if he or she is to match Edd.

Two days after the final was filmed last July, he resigned from his ‘soul destroying’ job in a bank and exchanged a mundane career in finance for an uncertain life in food. ‘The more I hated the job, the more I realised that baking was the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life,’ says 26-year-old Edd, who credits his mum – supervisor of those early mince-pie manoeuvres – with laying the foundations of his self-taught baking skills. ‘Winning the show gave me the boost I needed.’

A year on, he has moved from his native Bradford to London, worked in the kitchens of Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, set up monthly macaron-making classes at a smart West End venue (‘they’re a speciality of mine’), and is just coming to the end of a stint hosting pop-up afternoon teas at a posh hotel in Birmingham. ‘Pretty much everything in my life that could change, has changed,’ he says.

Now Edd is about to launch his first book, The Boy Who Bakes, a glorious collection of cakes, cookies, tarts, tortes, crumbles, cobblers, pies and puddings that showcases his creativity. It includes recipes for the ‘ultimate’ chocolate cake (pictured above), cranberry and macadamia shortbread, apple pie cake and nanaimo bars, a confection so rich that the instructions come with portion-control advice. Even traditional recipes are given a tweak, such as Edd’s ceccles cake, a hybrid of a Lancashire eccles cake and a Yorkshire curd tart.

‘I’m passionate about baking and hope the book will encourage more people to have a go – even men. There are plenty of simple recipes that beginners can try, some of which don’t even require baking. I know that people can feel a bit nervous in the kitchen, but I genuinely believe that anybody can bake,’ says Edd. ‘And for me, baking is an extension of love. You can’t bake one cupcake or a single slice of cake, you bake the whole thing to share with those you love. That’s one of the most enjoyable things about baking.’

My ultimate chocolate cakeThis cake is a family recipe brought back from Canada by my Mum, whilst she was visiting relatives in her 20s. Unfortunately, it was never actually made until I rediscovered it in the family recipe box many years later, which is a great shame as I was a huge fan of chocolate cake as a child

Serves 12–16

110g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

110g plain chocolate (at least 60-70% cocoa solids)

280ml boiling water

3 tbsp cocoa powder

140ml buttermill

280g plain flour

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

340g soft brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

For the ganache

225g butter

285g plain chocolate (at least 60–70% cocoa solids)

2 tbsp golden syrup

240ml double cream

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line three 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment, then grease the parchment too.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave or a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Set aside to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, whisk the water and cocoa powder together, then whisk in the buttermilk and set aside.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt together into a medium bowl. In a separate bowl use an electric hand mixer beat the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating until fully combined. With the mixer on low pour the cooled chocolate down the side of the bowl and, once fully combined, add a third of the flour mixture followed by half the buttermilk mixture. Repeat and then add the final third of flour mixture. Divide equally among the three prepared tins and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make the ganache, melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in the microwave or a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Once melted and smooth, add the cream and mix to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to set until spreadable, about 15–20 minutes. If the ganache is not setting at room temperature you can refrigerate, but watch carefully that it stays spreadable. To assemble the cake, put the first layer of cake on a serving plate or cake board. Spread a layer of ganache over the top of the cake and put the second cake layer on top, then repeat. Put the final layer of cake on top and spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with anything you fancy. Here I’ve used sprinkles for a classic birthday cake look.

Apple pie cakeAn apple pie or a cake? I couldn’t decide which, so I came up with this cake – a cross between the two. I have taken the flavours of the classic pie and transformed it into a spectacular three-layered cake. This cake is best served as soon as it is assembled, so if you want to prepare it ahead of time you can make the cakes and, once cooled, wrap them in clingfilm, making the fillings just before they are needed

Serves 12–16

225g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

470g plain flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

3 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

400g caster sugar

4 large eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

250ml whole milk

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

110g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

200g cream cheese (full fat)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp ground cinnamon

For the caramelised apples

5–6 Granny Smith apples

85g unsalted butter

85g light brown sugar

½ tsp ground ginger

Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/ gas 3. Grease three 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment, then grease these too. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together into a medium bowl, then set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 300g of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating until fully combined, followed by the vanilla bean paste. Turn the mixer to low and add a third of the flour mixture followed by half the milk. Repeat and then add the final third of flour mixture.

Put the egg whites into a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk until they hold soft peaks, then increase the speed and slowly pour in the remaining sugar, whisking the eggs until stiff peaks form. Mix a large spoonful of the egg white mixture into the cake batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites, until just fully combined. Divide the batter equally among the three tins, level out with a spatula and bake for 30–35 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light and smooth, about 5 minutes. Slowly beat in the icing sugar until combined, then increase the speed and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the cream cheese. To make the caramelised apples, core, quarter and dice the apples, then add to a large pan with the butter, sugar and ginger. Cook over medium heat until the apples are tender and coated in caramel. Drain the apples, reserving the juices, and put into a small bowl to cool. Return the juices to the pan and cook over medium heat until reduced and slightly thickened.

To assemble the cake, put one cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Spread one third of the frosting evenly across the top of the cake and top with just under a third of the apples and a third of the reduced apple caramel. Repeat with a second and third layer using the slightly larger portion of apple for the top layer. Serve immediately after assembling.

Ceccles cakesMy mum is from Lancashire and my dad is from Yorkshire, so this recipe, an idea given to me by the chocolatier, Paul A Young, is perfectly apt. It blends elements of the traditional Yorkshire curd tart and Lancashire Eccles cakes into something I’m calling Ceccles cakes: a flaky pastry filled with a spiced fruit-and-curd mixture

Makes 6

2 pints whole milk

2 tbsp vegetarian rennet

1 kg shop-bought puff pastry

flour, for dusting

1 egg, lightly beaten

caster sugar, for sprinkling

For the filling

60g butter

125g soft brown sugar

175g currants

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground mixed spice

The night before you want to make the cakes, put the milk in a medium pan and set over medium heat, then bring to 37C (lukewarm). Remove from the heat and stir in the rennet, then set aside for 1 hour. Line a fine sieve with muslin set over a large bowl.

Break up the curds a little and pour into the prepared sieve. Leave to drain overnight. Discard the liquid and retain the curds left in the sieve. To make the filling, melt the butter and sugar in a small pan over medium heat, then stir in the fruit and spices and allow to cool before using. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Roll out the chilled pastry on a floured work surface to about 2–3mm thick, and cut out six rounds about 20cm in diameter. Divide the curds among the pastry rounds, leaving a 5cm border all around the curds. Top with the fruit mixture and fold the pastry border up and over the filling. Use a little water to seal the pastry.

Turn the cakes seal side down and use a sharp knife to pierce vent holes on top of each one. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle with a thin layer of caster sugar, then bake for 25–30 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

The Boy Who Bakesby Edd Kimber will be published on 8 September by Kyle Books, price £16.99. To order a copy for the special price of £14.99, with free p&p, call the YOU Bookshop on 0843 382 1111 or visit you-bookshop.co.uk.